Winter Tyres

Prince

Torque King
Points
242
Location
Northampton, England
Car
BMW E36 318is Coupe
Yes I know the Summer isn't quite over yet but Winter tyres are cheaper now before the mad rush for them so what winter tyres have you tried and would recommend or avoid?
 
:lol: Winter tyres already when it's supposed to be 24c on Sunday! BBQ BBQ my kingdom for a BBQ :bigsmile:
Have never ever used a set of winter tyres young Prince :blink: But I look forward to the knowledge and wisdom of the wise one's as to the right choice to make! :)

Have a nice weekend by the way :bigsmile:
 
:lol: Winter tyres already when it's supposed to be 24c on Sunday! BBQ BBQ my kingdom for a BBQ :bigsmile:
Have never ever used a set of winter tyres young Prince :blink: But I look forward to the knowledge and wisdom of the wise one's as to the right choice to make! :)

Have a nice weekend by the way :bigsmile:

I've gotta start looking for a set of winter wheels, so will need winter tyres to go with them. I can't run my BBS' during winter. I'd have to clean them every hour!
 
Can't say I use 'winter' tyres, but my spare set of MG wheels I'll be using and they have Hankooks on which have been good during the typical winter. However when it snows I drive the Land Rover :p
 
When temperatures goes below 7 deg. celsius ordinary somer tire become hard. Winter tires are not only for snow.
Anny well known major brand of winter tires would do. Mine preference are Nokian (swedish) winter tires. Good on dry, wet and snow when temperatures drop.
It is worldwide known peops in UK don't use winter tires. Never been in UK and about climate I know only you got plenty of rain. Don't know about snow, but if you got temp drops during winter below 7 deg C, winter tire is something to consider because tire rubber tendency to became hard. Same as winter tires on higher temps became to soft and chopy.
 
Correct that man ^^

I thought about buying a set of winter tyres also, Vredestein are supposed to be very good at making winter tyres as are Hankook looking at the reviews. Just be sure to buy winter tyres and not all season ones.
 
Just be sure to buy winter tyres and not all season ones.

Just for further info:
Winter tyres got M+S stamp.
All seasson tyres got M&S stamp.


In my humble opinion "all seasson" tyres are good for - nothing! Not very good at somer and not very good at winter. In best case average trough hole year. If you are not demanding maybe they could do the trick for you. Otherwise better choosse proper winter/somer tyre.
About costs - after two tyre ciclus you get even costs 'cause you spear one set while driving on another. It means just initial cost is biger but after two tyre change cicluses you get even.
 
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i like the mich pilot alpen, on all 4 wheels, use the smallest narrow tread setup that fits over your brakes, the cost savings of smaller diameter tires can help pay for the new wheels
 
I live in erior where we got snow, but not like for egsample Canadians or Fins. Winter service is pretty good - during winter we got maybe 5-6 days (alltogether) oportunity to drive on snow before winter service clean it up. However, I use just one size smaller tires for winter. It give me peace of mind for those few days on snow and otherwise similar performance on dry roads when temperatures goes below zero like with sommer tires. Be aware - winter tires got softer side walls for same dimensions. In future I hope I will be able to get anothar set of 16" alloys for winter and than I will use same size all year. Current tyres are: winter - 195/55R15 on 6Jx15, sommer - 205/45R16 on 6.5Jx16. Just for illustration!
In country with much snow i think I would use even narover tyre with higher side walls, but here i sense same size could do the trick because of not many snow on roads altough we can have sharp winters - below minus 15 deg. celsius. When temps aprach 0 degres you can undoubtly feel how tires become harder - more plastic feeling instead of rubber feeling underneath you.
Hope that will provide some kind of picture why use winter tires.
And yes, Mich Alpine is very good winter choise! Friend of mine got it and he is very demanding kind of driver. He praise them very much!
 
Some interesting thoughts there Zwaf. I will be using 17 inch 7.5J rims during winter. Not sure on whether to go with 225/45s or 215/40s though.
 
Some interesting thoughts there Zwaf. I will be using 17 inch 7.5J rims during winter. Not sure on whether to go with 225/45s or 215/40s though.


Thank you! Like everything else on anny forum take this with grain of solt, please!

Wider tire is more prone to aquaplaning then narower one. Also, wider tire will slide more on snow then narower. I don't know how much snow or (icey) rain you got in winter time, but I'm sure little contemplating about that could bring you the logycal answer which size is apropriate.
With powerfull car you will need some wider tire, but maybe it's not good to go too wide...I guess. Look, I'm not an tire authority. Just telling my experiances in my country with my climate.
What is OEM tire sizes for your car? That could be good starting point bearing in mind that widest OEM is probably good for sommer only and narowest OEM size could be good for less powerfull ones during winter. Maybe somewhere in midle heaving in mind your preferences and vehicle's horse power.
Like in everything else - there is compromise! One size can not be best set up for ALL winter days. Just conclude what kinds of winter you meet and make some compromise for those few days when things get rough. You should be able to drive pretty god all the time, but also be able to make safety travel on snow when weather surprise you.
 
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Agreed. excessively wide tyres in the winter can cause problems especially so on low weight cars.

Winter rims and tyres are a good plan in my opinion. I am considering investing in a set myself.

Well said Mr Zwaf
 
Agreed. excessively wide tyres in the winter can cause problems especially so on low weight cars.

Winter rims and tyres are a good plan in my opinion. I am considering investing in a set myself.

Well said Mr Zwaf

How about how much sidewall there is? I don't want to upset the way the car handles and sits too much (not looking to stretch these on so much though).
 
shouldn't make a huge difference but some flex in the sidewalls is helpful in cold conditions especially. allows the tread contact patch to expand longitudinally.

So it's not so much about sidewall height but about rigidity
 
i bought some new tyres for the landrover ready for winter
old set on the roof are for sale will look good on the bmw lol
DSC00423.jpg


DSC00424.jpg
 
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I'm just an ordinary driving nut. When you call me "Mr." I feel so old! LOL

Lutonmatt, that would be one unstopable BMW! ;)
 
and thats just on the landrover
have cut a lot of teh arch off and still need to cut more off and a bit of the doors
buying bigger tyres dont always work out lol
 
Thinner tyres tend to cut through the snow/water more than wider tyres, its all about pressure excerted in particular area, rally cars use very thin tyres in the snow stages (Sweden)
Paul, I'd go for 215's on your motor mate, what are you running now in comparison?

Prince, a softer suspension setup is more ideal in slippery conditions so a bigger sidewall does come into the equasion as it does actually form part of the suspension,
if possible i would also increase the ride height slightly and soften it up a bit, you'll find your car more controlable in the snow.
 
Prince, a softer suspension setup is more ideal in slippery conditions so a bigger sidewall does come into the equasion as it does actually form part of the suspension,
if possible i would also increase the ride height slightly and soften it up a bit, you'll find your car more controlable in the snow.

Thanks mate. Very good information.

The tyres on my winter rims are 225/45s. Do you think I should stick with this or go for 215/45s?
 
I would go narrower, this is especially better in the snow, wider tyres aqua plane more, also a thinner tyre will apply more pressure on its contact patch thus cutting through the snow better in an effort to get to the road underneath, its how rally tyres work except our tyres are less agressive....
 
I too would go narrower. Buying tyres is a funny business, the prices can vary by loads just dropping a size or going up a size so before you decide see what the prices are and how they compare. if you're talking £40 extra per tyre just to drop it to 215 it's not worth it.

Also you'd need a slightly higher profile if you drop to 215. Have a play with this tyre size calc to see the circumference sizes and how this is impacted with different tyre dimension.
 
Thanks for the input guys. The 7.5J rims use a 225/45 as standard, but on my 8J rims I use 215/40s for a mild stretch. I thought by using a 215/40 on the winters then I could retain the characteristics. The other problem is though that the 225/45s are much more readily available in winter tyres.
 
I suppose the next question is, which brand is the best at making Winter Tyres?

I was always told that Vredestein were the best, but based on what I don't know I haven't actually seen any evidence of it.
I quite like Yokohama and Hankook as tyre brands, I haven't seen any Yoko winter tyres but Hankook make an extensive range.

Anyone else care to add?
 
I too am following this thread as well J, I would like to know what recommendations will come forward from others. I am thinking of trying a set of winter tyres for the first time this coming season to see what the true benefit actually is ;)
 
I have Hankooks on mine, not a brand I would have considered but they are a very nice tyre, lots of grip, long wear life etc (so far)...
 
Thinner tyres tend to cut through the snow/water more than wider tyres, its all about pressure excerted in particular area, rally cars use very thin tyres in the snow stages (Sweden)
Paul, I'd go for 215's on your motor mate, what are you running now in comparison?

Prince, a softer suspension setup is more ideal in slippery conditions so a bigger sidewall does come into the equasion as it does actually form part of the suspension,
if possible i would also increase the ride height slightly and soften it up a bit, you'll find your car more controlable in the snow.

It's only on 225s
 
Then 205's like you said in your other thread but even one size is a help.

Check this video out, kind of sums up what I'm getting at, granted it isn't in snow but we have a lot of rain in winter also and the same rules apply on snow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_abW86x9Fc

with softer suspension you get more roll on the corners which in turn gives you more weight transfer onto the outside wheel which then digs into the surface better finding the road underneath the water and the snow where the grip is.
 
just to add to this topic, does anyone know what size profile a 530/13" works out to be? the fella selling them doesnt know the equivelent tyre size, anyone on here know it?
 
I think it is race tyre size, but don't know what it means. Some link with charts or explantion could be helpfull to many of us.
 

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